Category Archives: CAHC Staff

The Commission on Accreditation for Home Care (CAHC) is extremely excited to announce the appointment of Paula Pedersen to our newly created position of Accreditation Mentor and Education Coordinator. Paula is a Registered Nurse with a BSN as well as a Masters in Nursing.

CAHC is committed to investing in our accredited providers. Paula’s addition to our staff advances that investment with you as CAHC now provides mentoring services for all home health care service providers partnering with CAHC to attain their required accreditation.

As Paula mentors you, she will also administer CAHC’s educational offerings for your home health care staff development to empower them with knowledge on rules and regulations and industry best practices to enable better service deliverables for your patients served.

Paula’s understanding and practiced experience in our state’s home health care industry is likely without equal. She is an exceptionally gifted educator who openly shares her knowledge to better understand home health care accreditation so you get accredited quicker and easier. Perhaps most significant given today’s home care competitive landscape, Paula is the “go-to” person with “know-how” solutions as she has operated home health care service agencies

Paula’s addition to our staff adds another great reason why CAHC is the accrediting partner of choice for New Jersey’s home health care service providers.

CAHC is pleased to announce that Tara Werner has joined our staff in the role of Director of Education and Marketing.

Tara brings to CAHC some outstanding talents and experiences in home health care, communications and marketing.

Having worked for Visiting Homemaker Service of Hudson County in Jersey City for the past 6 years, Tara’s expertise in the home health care environment is exceptional. She knows our home health industry, its challenges, its landscape and its stakeholders.

Possessing extraordinary inter-personal abilities, Tara is passionate about networking and marketing. Skilled in social media and newsletters, all of us can expect to see great things regarding accreditation and home health care tips as well as items of interest among our state’s home health care providers

Tara’s addition to our staff will enable CAHC to take our “Introduction to Accreditation” and “Standards Overview” courses, additional educational workshops, marketing campaigns and networking opportunities across our entire state to make your partnership with CAHC more convenient.

Tara’s email address is Tara@cahcnj.org or she can be reached at 201-880-9135.

Don is certainly no stranger to CAHC. He has been a member of the CAHC Board of Trustees and has served as its President for the past 3 years. Possessing an MBA in Finance, Don has been called upon to use his extensive executive, business and leadership acumen to keep CAHC and all of its accredited providers abreast of the many changes and challenges occurring in the New Jersey home care and companion care industries. His strong political and state government relationships will facilitate the timely exchange of vital information among all of us. Don is committed to expanding knowledge through educational opportunities for all providers and promoting the benefits of CAHC services to those that need accreditation. The entire team at CAHC remains committed to its mission of maintaining best practices in delivering the highest standard of service to New Jersey’s home health care providers and for local communities and families.

Marita Drivanos – Director of Accreditation

Marita is a graduate of Holy Name Medical Center School of Nursing and Seton Hall University. She is a Certified Dementia Practitioner and a Certified Staff Development Specialist in Long Term Care. As an Educator, she has guided a number of health care facilities successfully through the accreditation process. She has been continuously responsible for education of the clinical nursing staff on Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement standards and practices. Marita’s professional background includes experience in community and home care nursing, hospital adult and pediatric inpatient nursing, public health nursing, and clinical staff development and recruitment. She is a Nurse Leader who strives to keep her and staff up to date with the latest “best practice” standards, state laws and regulations and news affecting the nursing profession. Her depth of health care industry knowledge will undoubtedly prove to be a tremendous asset to our providers as we welcome her to team CAHC.